During his service in the British Army, Clifton George Lovegrove was posted to Hong Kong. Here are some of his photos of Stonecutters Island from that time.
Stonecutters Island has a long and interesting history dating back to the Qing Dynasty
Stonecutters Island has a long and interesting history dating back to the Qing Dynasty. It was once an important center of stone quarrying and stone carving, supplying material for many of the great imperial palaces and temples. In later centuries, it was also home to a number of military installations, including a major naval base.
Stonecutters Island was originally used as a stone quarry for the construction of Hong Kong. In 1884, the British decided to build a naval dockyard on the island, and it soon became an important military outpost. During World War II, Stonecutters Island was heavily bombed by the Japanese, and the dockyard was almost completely destroyed. After the war, the dockyard was rebuilt and used by the British Royal Navy until 1997, when it was finally decommissioned. Today, Stonecutters Island is home to a container terminal and a shipyard. Although it is no longer an active military base, the island still plays an important role in Hong Kong’s economy. Today, the island is best known as the site of the Stonecutters Island Sewage Treatment Works which has been responsible for reducing the amount of E.coli in nearby water supplies by 99%.